1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to generally a reflector assembly for a lighting device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a reflector assembly, which provides general illumination to an architectural space and also directs a portion of the light specifically to at least one non-horizontal surface, including walls, of the architectural space.
2. Description of Related Art
Specialized recessed lighting fixtures, which are adapted to illuminate at least one wall adjacent the fixture, i.e. to “wash” the wall with light, are well established in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,475,147 to Kristofek discloses a wallwash reflector assembly wherein a “kicker” is mounted within a conventional downlight reflector to direct light to illuminate a wall opposite the “kicker”. In this design, the extra components that make up the wallwash feature of the fixture are visible to the occupants in the space. Additionally, these extra components extend slightly below the ceiling plane. The physical appearance of this design is therefore unavoidably different from that of standard fully recessed fixtures. Similarly, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,800,050 to Leadford, U.S. Pat. No. 6,561,070 to Jongewaard et al., and RE 36,908 to Ling each disclose reflector assemblies including a wallwash “kicker”. All of the above mentioned reflector assemblies are limited in their design in that a “kicker” is capable of directing light to at most one wall. An additional limitation of utilizing a “kicker” is that a significant redesign of the product would be necessary to adapt the wallwash reflector assembly into a ‘double wallwash’ reflector assembly, a ‘corner wallwash’ reflector assembly, or any other specialized distribution. Additionally, due to material relaxation principles, the most common manufacturing methods cause the “kicker” to vary in contour from its original design as well as from part to part.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,350,047 discloses a reflector assembly which includes a wallwash “kicker” that has limitations similar to those described above. This “kicker” is additionally problematic in that it is flexible and is therefore susceptible to producing uneven illumination onto the wall if unintentionally or inappropriately flexed, for example, as a result of incorrect installation or if the “kicker” deforms and does not return completely to the original contours it had before it was flexed. Another factor that may lead to the fixture being improperly installed is that the manufacturer provides multiple components to the contractor in the field for a single fixture assembly. This design requires the contractor to receive all of the components, to catalog them together until ready to install them, and to understand what each piece is for and how the assembly goes together. The complicated assembly requires additional time to be spent on the assembly of each fixture. Each time the fixture is inspected or serviced, multiple components must be removed and then reassembled, allowing for the possibility of incorrect reassembly.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,431,723, to Schubert et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,632,006 to Rippel et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 7,125,135 to Ward each disclose wallwash reflector assemblies that are designed to have the light source tilted at an angle less than 90 degrees (but not parallel) to the ceiling line or off-axis inside the wallwash reflector assembly in order to direct a higher percentage of the light from the light source toward the wall to be illuminated. However, all of the above mentioned reflector assemblies are limited in their design in that they are capable of directing light to at most one wall. Additionally, this methodology complicates the fabrication and assembly of the reflector assembly and of the lighting device. Furthermore, these reflector assemblies, as well as the previously discussed reflector assembly of U.S. Pat. No. 6,561,070 to Jongewaard, utilize lenses, which adds to their complexity and cost.
Accordingly, there is a need for a rigid, truly recessed wallwash reflector assembly that resembles a downlight reflector assembly from the architectural space, and that is designed for a centrally located light source mounted perpendicular or parallel to the mounting surface, does not require a lens, is simple to manufacture, assemble, and customize, and is capable of directing light to a plurality of non-horizontal surfaces, including walls, from the top of the non-horizontal surfaces to the bottom of the non-horizontal surfaces while also contributing to the illumination of the architectural space.